Dining at Langdon Hall Country House: The Michelin Guide Reaches Waterloo Region
Langdon Hall was named 5th in Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list in 2024, and received a Michelin Guide distinction in the same year. If you’re looking for a memorable destination dining experience just outside of Toronto, look no further than Langdon Hall.
The rear gardens and patio space at Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa
Langdon Hall has been on my Canadian list of places to visit for quite some time. Whether you call it a “bucket-list”, “must-do list”, or “travel list”, if you haven’t been to Langdon Hall Country House before, it should most definitely be on yours, too.
Not only is Langdon Hall an incredible hotel and destination in its own right in Waterloo Region, its restaurant has been making waves in the Canadian dining scene for decades. It is by far one of the top dining experiences you can have in Ontario, and even in Canada. Perhaps one of the most exciting parts about dining at Langdon Hall is that you don’t have to come just for dinner. On top of having such an esteemed culinary team, it offers one of the most luxurious and memorable stays in the province, too.
Chris and I recently spent the weekend at Langdon Hall. We went cycling around Waterloo Region, we relaxed in their spa, we sipped on artfully selected wine from their wine shop and we sunk into the comforts of our luxurious suite. While I think that Langdon Hall should absolutely be a destination for its culinary offerings in their own right, it is a destination all unto itself. I could go on in great detail about Langdon Hall, but for now let’s focus on its culinary offerings and what a special place their restaurant is to celebrate an occasion or just enjoy some of the best fine dining in the country.
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A Little Bit About The Michelin Guide
The dining room at Langdon Hall
If you’re not all that familiar with the Michelin Guide, let me share a little information about it. Originating in France in the late 1800s, the guide was started by brothers Andre and Edouard Michelin who had just started a tire company, which we all have heard about today. In an effort to incentivize people to purchase cars (and tires), they began to publish small guidebooks on how to care for cars, and places you could eat and stay for the night while you were on the road—essentially an early version of road trip guides.
By the early 1900s, the guide grew to include restaurants, and focused more on dining experiences. Over the years, secret diners and journalists were brought to fine dining restaurants across France and began to award stars to these places. Today, with restaurants that are recognized in more than 30 countries, the star system is still in place, although there are many ways restaurants come to receive stars and distinctions. Some establishments receive a Michelin Distinction in the form of stars, some receive a Green Star for their sustainability efforts, others get a Bib Gourmand recognition if they serve “good food at moderate prices”, or they’re included in the Michelin Guide in general, which is the case for Langdon Hall.
With the Michelin Guide making its way to Canada in recent years, they aren’t only focusing on city-centred restaurants, but they’re branching out to other parts of Canada, too. This makes a visit to Langdon Hall extra special, because you can make it a destination dining getaway experience all unto itself.
Chris and I in our suite at Langdon Hall before heading over to the dining room for a memorable dinner
The Dinner Experience at Langdon Hall
Thanks to Chef Jason Bangerter and his team, the restaurant at Langdon Hall has been praised for its refined, inventive cuisine, rooted in local ingredients and a deep connection to the distinct seasons we have here in Canada. Chris and I visited in September, so keep in mind that our menu had a late summer flare to it. The menus rotate often at Langdon Hall, so you can expect the freshest and most seasonally appropriate dishes whenever you choose to visit.
Although there are many different dining experiences at Langdon Hall, when it comes to Michelin dining it’s hard to overlook dinner service. For the purposes of this article, we’ll start with dinner service, but you can learn more about the other dining experiences available at Langdon Hall later in the article.
When you come for dinner, you can choose between the curated Discovery Menu, the Grand Tasting Experience (which needs to be reserved in advance), or go à la carte, which Chris and I opted for. Regardless of which path you take, you’re in for a memorable dining experience here at Langdon Hall.
A NOTE ON WINE
For those who are passionate about wine, it’s worth noting that Langdon Hall has an incredible collection of wines in their wine cellar. Chris and I have spent our fair share of time travelling with wine destinations in mind, so when we happen across an extensive wine list like the one at Langdon Hall, it gives us pause.
They have over 1400 wines from all over the world in their cellar, so we were grateful for our sommelier Nikki, who helped to guide our decision. If we come back for either the Discovery Menu or the Grand Tasting Experience, I would definitely be open to trying one of their Wine Pairing Experiences, too. They have two tiers, the “Globetrotter” and the “World Classics”, which rotate frequently and sound like a truly incredible way to get a taste for their collection.
amuse-bouche
The first bite of the night, Duck Rillettes served on kohlrabi radish, set the tone for the meal. It was beautifully presented, sitting on a pedestal in a large bowl, surrounded by seasonal flowers.
Next, we were treated to a refreshing deconstructed Strawberry Gazpacho, which brought a burst of late summer freshness to the table. No stone has been left unturned when it comes to presentation and service at Langdon Hall. Our server artfully poured the gazpacho over the fresh local berries and edible flowers right in front of us to enjoy.
Appetizers
It was difficult to finalize our choices, but we settled on two appetizers to share during our meal. The first dish was Warm Lobster + Caviar, served with tomato water buerre blanc foam and anise herbs. This medley complimented the organic Canadian white sturgeon caviar beautifully. The rich, buttery lobster was an absolute delight, and perfectly presented, topped with compliments of yellow and green edible flowers.
Our other appetizer was the Ricotta Gnudi with summer truffle mushrooms, glazed Paris mushrooms and Champagne bubbles. This was a standout dish, highlighting the complex flavours of this combination of mushrooms, delicately complimented by the bubbles.
Chris and I often share dishes, since it means we get to try more when we’re on the road. It’s worth noting that Langdon Hall thoughtfully split our dishes, so we each have half. The only reason I mention this is because the portions in the appetizer photos are typically double the size.
Entrées
For our main courses, we tried two more dishes. It’s always difficult to decide when a menu is so enticing, but we were happy with our choices.
The first was the Baked Salmon, served with sweet peas, young turnips, fine herbs and fish bone velouté. The bright greens of the vegetables of this dish—largely coming from Langdon Hall’s own garden—complimented the bright pink of the salmon. It was a delectable dish, truly bringing together some of the best of flavours of late summer.
Our final dinner dish was the Marinated Beef served with brassicas, crispy potato pressé, béarnaise mousseline. The béarnaise sauce was incredibly complimentary of the rich, tender beef, which was seared and seasoned to perfection.
Desserts
Although we were more than satisfied at this point in the evening, it’s hard to pass up the opportunity to sample some Michelin recommended desserts. Langdon Hall is so well known for their breads, pastries and sweets, after all, so without much convincing we made our choices.
We were first brought out a sample of a trial Niagara Peaches dessert, with fresh mascarpone and fluffy angel food cake. It was absolutely sublime, and we were flattered Chef Jason Bangerter wanted us to sample it.
We were then graced with the desserts we’d ordered: the Strawberries + Cream, and the Lime Cheesecake. The Strawberries + Cream dish was served beautifully, with the pink, crispy meringue perched atop the combination of rich vanilla cream and angel food cake. The presentation of the Lime Cheesecake was unique in its spherical shapes. The graham sable and Chantilly was constructed in a circle, topped with a circular dollop of lime curd and a perfect, oval-shaped scoop of lime sorbet.
Floating on a carefree cloud of the true satisfaction of our indulgences, Chris and I retired to our cozy room at Langdon Hall and lit a fire in our suite’s fireplace to cap off the night. It felt like we were staying on an estate in Ireland or the U.K., and was the perfect end to the evening. I’m serious when I say that if you’re on the hunt for a special destination restaurant in Ontario, Langdon Hall is one for the books.
More Gastronomic Delights at Langdon Hall
Wilks Bar
Although dinner tends to be seen as the pièce de résistance here at Langdon Hall, their other dining experiences are not to be missed. It would be challenging to try everything during your stay, but if you are staying for three or more nights, this would be the perfect opportunity to try a little bit of everything.
Here are more of the dining experiences to look out for at Langdon Hall:
Fresh Country Breakfast
This was the other dining experience that Chris and I took part in during our visit, and honestly the breakfast at Langdon Hall is just as much of a memorable experience as the dinner.
The light that fills the dining room is magical in the mornings, as is the assortment of freshly made goods you can find on their Country Table. They have homemade granola, the famous Langdon Hall Butter Croissants and a Daily Quiche, among so many other delightful offerings.
They also have an impressive À La Carte menu, with made-to-order favourites like Lobster Eggs and Farmhouse Eggs.
Other Dining Experiences
Wilks Bar
Although we didn’t technically sit down to enjoy these experiences during our visit, they come highly recommended.
Lunch: This is an excellent option for dining, whether you’re an overnight guest or not. Choose from a variety of appetizers, entrées or desserts for a midday treat.
Wilks Bar: If you’re feeling a little peckish in the afternoon, Wilks is a beautiful, sun-filled space to come for a bite to eat or an afternoon drink. They have a mid-day menu, offering options like their Country Pâté or their Cheese + Charcuterie. They also have a dessert trolley, with treats like their Gourmand Cookie and Seasonal Scones.
Wine Shoppe: This adorable space at Langdon Hall is open to day visitors and guests alike. You can enjoy a tasting flight of wines from their cellar, nibble on a few charcuterie bites, and shop for your next unique bottle of wine to bring home with you.
The Wine Shoppe selection reflects the breadth and depth of the cellars here at Langdon Hall
Planning Your Next Destination Restaurant Getaway
As soon as you reach Langdon Hall, there will be no question in your mind as to its recognition in Canada and on the Michelin Guide. Every team member works hard here to ensure guests—restaurant and overnight alike—walk away with the most memorable experience after their visit here.
With their commitment to quality, innovation and sourcing ingredients as locally and sustainably as possible, Langdon Hall is a restaurant attracting all sorts of foodies. Stay tuned for more to come on how to enjoy a weekend getaway at Langdon Hall!
I want to humbly thank Explore Waterloo Region for hosting me as media during my trip to Langdon Hall. All opinions expressed are completely my own.